One minister’s resignation is too little, too late

OTTAWA –Minister Bev Oda has resigned from the Conservative Cabinet after years of ethics scandals and wasteful spending. In response, New Democrats are pointing to the many questions left unanswered and asserting that this does nothing to restore accountability to Stephen Harper’s Cabinet.

“Although Bev Oda has done the right thing, Canadians are still outraged that Stephen Harper allowed and defended years of this unethical behavior” said NDP Ethics Critic Charlie Angus. “We all know the stories of the swanky hotels and sipping overpriced orange juice. The buck stops with the Prime Minister. Why did he allow this to go on for so long and why is she only now resigning?”

From the tampering of documents in the Kairos scandal, to spending thousands of taxpayer’s dollars on limousines, hotel upgrades and perks, Oda is no stranger to scandal. However, Deputy Ethics Critic Alexandre Boulerice pointed out that she is certainly not alone in the Conservative Cabinet to suffer from questionable ethics and lapses in accountability.

“If Stephen Harper thinks a single resignation or a cabinet shuffle will make his ethics problems go away, he is sorely mistaken,” warned Boulerice. “The Conservatives were elected on a white horse of accountability but since taking office they have become precisely what they used to criticize.”